Designating device



July 18, 1933. M. SHERAS 1,918,570

DESIGNATING DEVICE Filed Dec. 1. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l lnuenifiv": Mbrris 5hera5- WWW: M Q1795.

July 18, 1933. M. SHERAS DESIGNATING DEVICE Filed Dec. 1. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lTLUeTUFr Morris Shares- 5% @zmede ww Patented July 18, 1933 MORRIS SHERAS, OF MAN ISTEE, MICHIGAN DESIGNATING DEVICE Application filed December This invention relates to a designating device and more particularly to a street or road crossing sign of the box type.

An object of this invention is to provide an artistic designating device of simple construction and ease of assembly, and one which will Withstand outdoor Weathering conditions.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a designating device of the box type which not only will show the cross street toward which one is approaching but also will show the directions of lower and higher house numbers on that cross street and indicate generally the numbers in the adjacent blocks.

A feature of the invention is the provision of an adjustable clamp for the device whereby it may be used on various types, sizes and shapes of poles and in any desired horizontal position on a pole.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means of joining the sign board elements to each other.

Other objects and advantages of the construction will appear during the course of the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in which four sign boards bearing street names are joined together to form a square. At the center, on top, of each sign board, is positioned a smaller sign indicating the house numbers in the blocks to the right and left. Within the square formed by the four sign boards are diagonal braces and slidably positioned upon these braces are adjustable clamps for mounting the sign on a pole.

The details of the construction will be more readily understood by reference to the draw ings. While I have chosen this embodiment for the purpose of exemplification it will be appreciated that I do not limit myself to the details thereof as the invention is susceptible of incorporation in other forms of construction coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a corner elevation of the designat in device;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the assem 1, 1930. Serial No. 499,300.

bly of the four sign board elements, the braces and the adjustable clamp;

Fig. is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross section through the center of one of the sign board elements taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of a corner of the designating device taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.; and

Fig. 6 represents the formations on the ends of two sign board elements for effecting a j ointure between them.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it is seen that the box sign of the preferred embodiment of my invention comprises four sign board elements 10 joined at their ends to form a square as shown in Fig. 2.

Each of the sign board units 10 has a base plate 13 and a face plate 14 (see Fig. 6). The base plate is strengthened by ribs 13a, and the face plates have longitudinally extending, inwardly turned flanges 14a for receiving the base plate, which is slidable therein and which makes for ease in assembly.

The end portions of the assembled plate members 13 and 14 are bent backward on the plate 13 to an angle of approximately 135. The base plate 13, at one end, has a tongue 17 which is bent still further backward to form a right an le, thus being at an angle of about 45 to t 1e main portion of the unit. At the other end, the base plate has a U- shaped keeper 18, also at an angle of 45 to the plate unit, the keeper being adapted to receive and hold the tongue 17.

The interlocked ends of the plate units are held together by clamps 21 which embrace the outside corners and have top and bottom projections 22 which are turned inwardly over the ends of the plate units forming stops to .hold the tongues 17 in the keepers 18.

An alternative arrangement for clamping the ends together is to insert bolts 23 through the upper and lower portions of the clamp 21 and through the ends of the plate units and to fasten them with nuts 24, as shown at the left of Fig. 3. This arrangement is useful for assembling the plate units in halves for shipment, in which case it may or may not be desirable to provide projections 22 on the clamps.

The outer face of each sign board unit carries suitable lettering to designate the intersecting street toward which the observer is approaching. Supplementary thereto is a location designating sign board 25 which indicates, by reference to the general numbers of the houses in both directions, the place at which the designated street is intersected. The location sign board has a fastening back plate and an indicating front plate 27, the back plate carrying two or more centrally located bolts 30 which are forced therethrough until their heads are flush with the plate. The resulting frictional engagement is sufiicient to keep the bolts tightly held.

The indicating plate holds the fastening plate snugly by means of overlying flanges 27a, and it covers the heads of the bolts 30.

Bracing means for the sign boards are provided by parallel diagonal cross straps 35, 35a, 36 and 36a, whose ends are bent to parallel the respective back plates with which they come into contact.

The bent end portions of the straps are apertured to receive bolts 31, carried by each of the base plates 13 and similar to bolts 30 as to mounting, so that a strap extends from the center of one sign board unit across to the center of an adjacent unit.

For positioning the location sign board in relation to the street sign board, a vertical support bar 38 with apertures to accommodate the bolts 30 and 31 is provided, and as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, this bar is bent to fit over the end portions of the straps. Nuts 33 applied to the threaded ends of bolts 30 and 31 hold the street and location sign boards together and tied to the bracing straps, so that, with a minimum of parts, a neat, and light but strong and rigid sign is provided.

For mounting the sign on a pole a pair of center clamps 50, 50a are adjustably secured to the bracing straps by means of bolts 54, 55, which pass between the straps '35 and 35a, and 36 and 36a, respectively, and through the legs 52, 52a and 53, 53a of said clamps. The space between the upper and lower straps permits setting of the clamps 50, 5011 at any desired distance from each other and by bowing the central portions of the clamps outward to form semi-circular sections as shown in Fig. 2 a smaller or larger pole may be embraced by bringing the clamps closer together or spreading them farther apart. When fitted to the pole the clamps are held fast by bolts 61 and nuts 62.

I claim:

1. A street designating sign comprising a plurality of sign boards arranged in box-like formation, bracing means connecting the sides of said boards, and clamping means adjustably connected to said bracing means and adapted to embrace a central pole.

2. A street designating sign comprising a plurality of sign boards arranged in box-like formation, a pair of straps connected to the sides of adjacent boards, a pair of clamping members bowed outwardly in their center portions, and means for fastening the ends of said clamping members in various positions on said straps.

3. A street designating sign comprising a plurality of sign boards arranged in boxlike formation, a pair of spaced bracing straps connecting adjacent boards, a pair of clamps having outwardly bowed central portions and apertured end portions, bolts extending through said apertures adapted to slidably engage said straps, and means for fastening said bolts to said straps.

4. A street designating sign comprising a plurality of sign boards arranged in boxlike formation, a pair of bracing straps connecting adjacent boards, a pair of clamps having outwardly bowed central portions and apertured end portions, means extending through said apertures adapted to slidably engage said straps, means for fastening said means to said straps and means for holding said clamps against movement in relation to each other.

5. In a street corner sign, the combination with a plurality of street designating sign boards and location sign boards superimposed on said designating boards, of bolts carried by said designating. and location boards, bracing cross straps connecting said designating boards and having bent end portions apertured to lit over said designating board bolts, fastenin straps also apertured to fit over said designating and location board bolts, and nuts cooperating with said bolts to secure said boards to said bracing straps.

6. In a street corner sign, the combination with a pair of street designating sign boards, joined at their adjacent ends, and location sign boards superimposed on said designating boards, all of said boards having lettered front plates and supporting back plates, said back plates carrying bolts fixedly held in place, of bracing cross straps connecting said designating boards and having bent end portions apertured to fit over said designating board bolts, vertical fastening straps also apertured to fit over said designating and location board bolts, and nuts cooperating with said bolts to secure said boards to said bracing straps.

7. In a street corner sign, the combination with a plurality of street designating sign boards, of a cross strap for bracing a pair of said boards, location sign boards associated with said braced boards, a vertical strap connecting said designating and location boards with the ends of said bracing strap, and

fastening means for holding said straps and boards together.

8. In a designating sign having a plurality of sign boards disposed in angular relation to each other, the combination with an end portion on one of said boards, bent inwardly to form a tongue member, of an end portion on an adjacent board, bent to form a U-shaped keeper member adapted to re- 19 ceive said tongue, and clamping means for holding said members in interlocked relation,

in which the sign boards are formed of inner and outer plate members, the outer plate having longitudinal flanges embracing the edges of the inner plate members, in which the tongue and keeper members are projections of the inner plate members, and in which the locking means is a clamp bent over the corners of said boards and contacting with the tops and bottoms of said interlocking members.

MORRIS SHERAS. 

